QUEENS, NY- According to Abc7ny.com.com, a 90-year-old woman died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Queens. The woman’s family is seeking justice after the tragic accident.
The crash took place at 129th Street and Jamaica Avenue. The victim, Isabel Duarte, was walking to a doctor’s appointment at around 7 in the morning when she was struck by a vehicle.
The driver, Eber Baten, 25, attempted to leave the scene. Police tracked the driver down and charged for “leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license.
Duarte’s son, Renato Duarte, said that a driver who witnessed the crash held down Baten to keep him from getting away before the police arrived. Renato says the family wishes to see the man who killed his mother face justice.
Baten was driving a van owned by the Lluvias de Gracia of Richmond Hill, which is a church. The pastor stated that Baten had attended a service the night before the crash and had been on his way to return the vehicle when he struck Duarte.
Baten spoke with officers following the crash. He claimed to have failed to see the victim when he was attempting to turn. He said that the woman was down too low for him to see from the high up seat in the van. He said he attempted to run because he knew that he was driving without a license.
Duarte had nine children, whom she raised in Queens. The victim also had “18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.”
Duarte turned 90 last September.
